Bishop Kevin Farrell has led the Catholic Diocese of Dallas since 2007. Born in Ireland, he served in Mexico and Washington, D.C., before coming to Dallas. Like Catholics all over the world, he watched the election of Pope Francis last week with great interest. While he’s never met the former Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Farrell was willing to speculate for Points about the possible priorities of the new pontiff.

During the first days of Pope Francis’ pontificate, he took a series of actions that many are reading as signals about his style of simplicity — from a refusal to ride in the papal limo, to offering his first public prayers in Italian rather than Latin, to an insistence that he stop by the guest house where he stayed for the conclave to pay his bill and literally pick up his own luggage. Has he been intentionally sending signals about reaching out to ordinary Catholics?

He is a very humble and simple priest. His instincts are obviously for him to carry on business the way he has always done. It’s hilarious, but at the same time it’s him. I think that’s what you’re dealing with. But it’s not that unusual when you go back to think of it. Remember Benedict, the first day as pope, decides he was going to walk out of the apostolic palace, out from behind the walls of the Vatican and walk two blocks over to his apartment. … John Paul II was notorious during the first weeks of his pontificate for walking out in the square and going outside the Vatican without telling the security people.

What does the choice of the name Francis tell you about the new pope’s style and his priorities?

The famous St. Francis was called by God to “reform my church.” I think this man sees that certain reforms have to take place within the church. He’s going to make sure that happens. But I also think at the same that he is going to be very, very interested in what we call in the church the “new evangelization” of preaching the word of God.

What kinds of reforms do you expect? Changes in doctrine? Changes in organization?

The media in general hears about reform, and they immediately talk to me about abortion and same-sex marriage and all of these issues. When we talk about reform, we don’t talk about principles that he cannot reform. We talk about discipline. And we talk about bureaucracy. And we talk about reform of better preaching the word of God and communicating to the people of today in a more meaningful way.

What kinds of bureaucratic changes do you expect?

For example, the process of laicization of priests. I am sure he will make that a much more simple process. I am sure he will have total transparency of everything that is done in the church. I’m sure he will insist on all countries following basically the procedures the United States put into practice in 2002 with respect to sex abuse.

Why didn’t Pope Benedict XVI move the bishops in other countries further in that direction?

I think Benedict tried to do that as much as he could and as much as he understood of the problem. He tried, hoping that other episcopal conferences around the world would follow what we went through [in the United States]. But I do believe that those changes are in process and [Pope Francis] will speed them up.

St. Francis is famous for radical piety and devotion to the poor — but also for making dramatic gestures. Has this pope created an expectation for drama with his choice of name?

I do not think so. I think he has set a tone of simplicity and humility, that we are all called to serve. And we are all servants of the people of God. That’s the message he wants to convey.

Are there positions Pope Francis might take that would have political resonances here and abroad? And will those positions affect the local churches?

In this country, we face the issue of immigration. Well, that’s going to be an issue [for Pope Francis]. Because he is going to want to declare, and rightly so, that we are all brothers and sisters in this world. We shouldn’t be looking around to see what language we speak to treat them one way or the other. We shouldn’t be looking at what color they are, what nation they are, what continent they are from, what religion they are. … I think he will try and bring people together. And I think that is what the local church will try to do.

What about married priests? There’s already wiggle room within Catholic practice, with married priests who follow the Eastern Rite and some priests who were married clergy from other churches and became Catholic. Might this pope shift this rule?

I don’t know how to answer that. I don’t think it will be the number one thing on his agenda. I think there are much bigger things facing the church than that. That’s something we will know more about in approximately six months or a year, after you listen to what he says every week.

This Q&A was conducted and condensed by Dallas Morning News staff writer Jeffrey Weiss. His email is jweiss@dallasnews.com. Bishop Kevin Farrell can be reached at bishopkevinfarrell.org.